#Quilted Fleece

[bevanne46]

How to Build a Fabric Stash without Breaking the Bank

Fabric can be expensive but it doesn’t have to be.  If you are not stuck on Name Brands or Specialty Fabric Store Exclusives here are some ways to build your fabric stash without costing an arm and a leg. I have made many beautiful quilts using various fabrics from various supplies. And I believe that the quality is not just in the fabric you use but also in your stitch work and seams sizes. If your seams are less than a ¼” they will not hold (personally I prefer to use a ½” seam allowance). If you are not securing your thread ends, your stitch work is going to come undone. So be sure to watch these things too.

Look for fabric at your local Thrift Store (Goodwill, Value Village, etc.)

I have found some wonderful fabrics in various sizes, notions, storage items and more at my local Thrift Stores. I have even found unfinished quilt tops that I have brought home and added a backing to then quilted. Remember that almost any size fabric remnant can be added to other remnants to make some wonderful scrappy quilts so save your own remnants after making a quilt, you may be able to use it later in another quilt.

Look for local Fabric Sales held by Quilting Guilds in Your Area.

We have 2 near me every summer.One charges $2 per pound for any fabric. The second one charges $2 per yard for any fabric. Both also sell batting, notions, books, machines, tools, and more.

Look for fabric on Facebook Marketplace, Nextdoor and other sites.

I sell extra fabric on Marketplace and Nextdoor. I have also found several ladies near me selling fabric that I have purchased. And some I have purchased with shipping to me.

Look for older 100% Cotton Sheets at your local Thrift Stores.

Back in the 1800’s and early 1900’s, Quilts were not show pieces. They were real functional blankets that were made from any and all fabrics they could get, usually used clothing. I think there is no reason why we cannot still do that instead of buying expensive fabrics. I have often used clothing, sheets, curtains, and other linens to make some wonderful, usable quilts. And there are some wonderful patterns you can use for quilts in bedsheets from the 1980’s and 1990’s. Note: I always wash anything from a Thrift Store before I use it.

Watch for Fabric Sales and Coupons for Joanns, Hobby Lobby and other Fabric & Craft Stores.

I know some quilters believe that the fabric from Joanns & Hobby Lobby is poor quality but I have not found any bad fabric from these stores.  We do not have a “Quilting” store close to me and because I’m handicapped, I will not drive an hour or more just to buy expensive fabric.  If I did that, I wouldn’t be able to afford to quilt.  I will also buy fabric from Walmart but I am more careful with my selection there as most fabric at Walmart is good but I have had one or two pieces that I felt were poorer quality.

Watch for Fabric Sales and Coupons for your Local Quilt Shop.

Quilt shops will also have occasional sales and/or coupons so if you prefer to shop at these locations take notice of when they have sales. Also ask if they ever give discounts to seniors or military.

Use New or Older Clothing.

I have made a lot of beautiful Memorial Quilts from a loved one’s clothing and T-Shirt quilts. I will use jeans, work shirts, uniforms, flannel, cotton, polyester and even some knits.  These can be a little trickier to work with because they are often stretchy fabrics but they will add a wonderful texture and visual variance to your quilts.  I recently found a pair of cotton pants with Mickey Mouse on them. I fell in love with them because they were so colorful, and I love bold colors. I found several other cotton fabrics that matched the colors in the Mickey pants and made a bold colorful quilt!

Rethink Your Backing Fabric

No one ever said your quilt backing had to be all New Cotton. You can use Fleece, Flannel or Bed Sheets as well. On many occasions I have found some wonderful fleece blankets on clearance and used these for my quilt backing.  Joanns right now has a great clearance sale on Flannel fabric. The best part about using some of these is that you can get then in a wider width so you may be able to make your backing in all one piece instead of 2 or more like when using regular cotton (unless you want your backing to be in various colors/patterns).  You can also use new or older cotton bed sheets for a quilt backing. Again, you can make your quilt backing in one solid piece with a sheet!

Check the Clearance Section for Your Favorite On-Line Stores

I have several on-lines stores that I love to shop from (e-Quilter, Missouri Star, etc.) but sometimes they can be expensive so I always check the clearance section of these stores. There are times I will find some beautiful fabrics on clearance so will purchase it then look for matching piece everywhere else so I can get the best deals. Also check for on-line sales from Joanns, Hobby Lobby and other on-lines stores that sell fabric and/or sheets.

Check Out Your Local Garage, Moving and Estate Sales

I have found some of the best deals at moving and estate sales because often the seller is willing to bargain with you. I once found an estate sale where a family was selling off all their mother’s quilting and sewing items because she had passed away and none of then sewed. There was more fabric and notions than I would have used in a year so I found lots of thread and items I purchased at a great price.

Note on Batting

I know that many quilters believe that the only batting you should use is expensive cotton batting. I disagree.  There are many forms of batting. Cotton/Poly blends, Polyester, and Fleece. I love cotton batting but cotton will break down quicker than polyester and I want my quilts to last a lifetime so for most of my quilts I actually use Polyester more often than not. I have taken the backing off many older quilts to do repair work and the cotton batting inside was all balled up and a real mess.

Now when I am doing the Quilt-as-you-Go method I use a Fleece batting. The fleece can be cut into smaller pieces, fabric added to the top and then sewn back together to make wonderful quilts. And the batting doesn’t get stuck in my machine.

Shop Around for your batting to find the best deals. Sometimes Joanns has a sale on batting but the best price I have found so far has been Walmart on-line.  I can buy a 96” x 9 yard Bolt of Poly Batting for just $30 on Walmart on-line. This bolt will make 4+ quilts depending on the size of the quilt and I will have lots of left overs for smaller projects like pillows, etc.  For me the best part is that because it’s 96” wide, I don’t have to piece together my batting before I can sandwich my quilt!

[creativeseal]

So far in the 2024 tour de fleece (days 1-10): I’ve finished seven skeins (I’m including the orange one I spun on my spindle over the last month because I finished spinning it and plied it during the tour).

I also did some sewing and tried some natural dyeing with some flowers in my yard and some random wool. Round two of those experiments will happen after the heat and humidity drop.

I did a lot of spinning during the first week of the tour because I knew the rest of the 23 days would get busier. Again, washing and measuring will happen after the tour ends.

[snakespeare]

Behold my magnum opus

[tj-crochets]

I just realized next month is pride month! Any requests for pride plushies or quilts I should make? Like, flags I should make things out of, particular plushie requests, anything

[bittsandpieces]

I feel like u would be an excellent nap buddy. U seem like u have lots of stuffed animals and soft blankets

How did you know.... I'm literally laying in a pile of soft blankets and stuffed animals at this exact second

[ask-zacharies-snackarie]

Petition to make fabric samples free.

[pillars-of-salt]

layering up like i'm a member of a doomed arctic expedition before setting out on a journey across the vast frozen wasteland of my house to find the thermostat (i don't know where it is)

[webpixies]

Homestuck God Tier Quilt is officially done!

Finally this 10 years in the making fleece quilt is finished. Final measurements are 57x44.5 in. All symbols are hand appliqued, it's put together by sewing machine then a blanket stitch was added around the edge by hand.

It's by no means perfect but I'm very happy it's finally done.

Check out the "god tier blanket" tag for past posts.

[stylishanachronism]

*grump grump*

Cannot currently afford a proper quilt frame but eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee I want it

[aeide-thea]

me like: i wonder what would happen if you tried to quilt partially/fully-felted roving to an outer cotton shell. like could you make weird hippie sweatpants or would getting the wool felted enough to be quiltable onto the cotton without an inner woven layer to sandwich it in place make it too not-fleecy to have the right feel. 🤔

[bevanne46]

Because I'm a crafter I have yarn and lots of other craft supplies I swear I'm going to use someday but mostly Fabric!

[newdayslinguine]

So excited for the american food but absolutely dreading being separated from my blankets

[thomsonsharon347]

Quilted Jackets: Top 5 Reasons They Deserve a Place In Your Closet

One of the most sought-after bulk quilted jacket manufacturers comes with a vast collection of eye-catching, high-quality quilted jackets!

[atelierjhoseok]

Hope On The Street | HOPE ON THE STREET VOL.1 INTERLUDE Photo Zine p.42

[devonellington]

Thurs. Dec. 21, 2023: Blessed Solstice!

image courtesy of  Linda Roisum via pixabay.com Thursday, December 21, 2023 Waxing Moon Chiron, Uranus, Jupiter, Mercury Retrograde Cloudy and cold Winter Solstice There’s a Winter Solstice wish over on Gratitude and Growth. And Happy Summer Solstice to my friends in the Southern Hemisphere! Today’s serial episode is from Legerdemain: Episode 148: A Misplaced Dandy An unexpected guest,…

[webpixies]

Guuuuuuys

So flashback time! 10 years ago I started this fleece Homestuck quilt by hand applique all the god tier symbols. However when I finished that part i didn't want to hand sew everything together. Welp I finally have a sewing machine!

I still need to cut and attach the back and do some planned hand finishing so there should be atleast one more update on this project.

Previous project posts under the "god tier blanket" tag